An inclusive classroom for students with special educational needs, an interactive student corner in the children’s library, a new shop class and sports inclusive spaces — all this and much more will soon be implemented in Shchastia community thanks to DTEK’s Do-It-Yourself Community Grant Competition. 11 projects were recognized as the best and got a chance for implementation.
‘DTEK ENERGY cares about the future of the town, therefore, for 9 years in a row, it has been helping residents of the community to implement important for them projects. By developing the activity of residents of Shchastia, Petropavlivka and Triokhizbenka, DTEK creates conditions for solving beautification problems. This helps people not only independently change their lives for the better, but also feel responsible for preserving the results of their efforts,’ said Borys Safonov, Director of DTEK Luhanska TPP.
One of the winning projects aims to create an inclusive developmental class for schoolchildren in grades 1–4. Project Manager Svitlana Vasylchenko, Deputy Director for Curriculum and Discipline of the Shchastia K. Kutovyi Lyceum No. 1 is confident that due to organization of the inclusive space, schoolchildren with special educational needs will adapt to school life much quicker. And other children will feel more comfortable during school leisure time.
‘The implementation of our project will allow all children, without exception, to receive quality education and learn how to interact with the world around them. Moreover, the project will teach children to calmly perceive the differences of other people. After all, every child is unique and should have a chance for a happy future,’ emphasized Svitlana Vasylchenko.
Also, thanks to DTEK ENERGY, an interactive corner for schoolchildren in the children’s library, a modern classroom, an inclusive sports ground, and a correctional gym for preschoolers will be created in Shchastia. In Petropavlivka and Triokhizbenka, such projects as arrangement of the creative assembly hall, creation of a correctional gym and organization of street navigation will be implemented this year.
In 2021, 32 communities in 11 regions of Ukraine have taken part in the competition. The company received 667 bids, from which the project jury in each individual community selected the winners based on the specific criteria. Initiatives in the social sector, ecology and energy consumption, health care, sports, urban and rural improvement, as well as cooperation between communities, are among the winners. This year, the competition has placed particular emphasis on creating a barrier-free environment and inclusion in a broad sense. The Do-It-Yourself Community project was transformed once DTEK joined the First Lady’s Business without Barriers initiative. 60% of the programs and initiatives that communities and volunteers submitted to participate in the competition are based on accessibility principles.